Sunday, 9 October 2016

Rutland Water this morning for the One-eyed Birder

Little EgretEgretta garzetta

Sunday 9 October

Still a case of making the best of it as I headed over to the local patch at Rutland Water in dry weather this morning, arriving by 8.30 and the promise of later sunshine. Local Common Starlings playing around the chimney pots and then Rook, Crow and Magpie before hitting the car park (with my one eye this could have been a literal statement!) and welcomed by both Wood Pigeon and Jackdaw. Ere long I also added Blackbird to the list but the feeding station only provided Chaffinch and Blue Tit.

Lapwing vanellus vanellus

All very quiet and nobody about so straight over to the Sandpiper Hide overlooking Lagoon 4 where i found the awakening Canada Geese flock. A few Great Black-backed but mainly Black-headed Gulls and the occasional Lapwing on the far bank where I also found the single Pied Wagtail. Strange to see a pair of Egyptian Geese in front of me with four very young goslings; late breeders or yet another clutch?

First winter Black-headed GullLarus ridibundus

On the far water a score or more Mute Swans but they decided that this was not the water for them as they clattered over to the neighbouring lagoon. Nearer to me a pair of Shelduck and no shortage of either Wigeon or Teal. Deciding that two geese species seemed on the miserly side I scoped the far bank again and duly found a small flock of Greylag Geese.

WigeonAnas penelope

And so onto the Shoveler Hide overlooking Laggon 3, again on my own. Now we had a plentiful supply of ducks with a dozen or more Moorhen nearer the hide. No shortage of Mute Swans and there were scores of Cormorants. Surprisingly few Great Crested Grebes but plenty of Teal and scores of Wigeon. The Coot flock were on the far side and only a handful of Shoveler seen along with a similar number of Common Pochard as a lone Heron flew across the water.

Grey HeronArdea cinerea

The Crake Hide overlooking the same water produced the first Little Grebe and there were a dozen Little Egrets present along with a few Tufted Duck and a handful of Gadwall. Nothing new at the Lapwing Hide overlooking the top of the South Arm but there must have been at least 50 Great Crested Grebes present.

GadwallAnas strepera

So back to the Visitors Centre and meet up with friends before taking a second look at the feeding station which, on this occasion, produced both Great and Blue Tits, Chaffinch, Goldfinch and House Sparrows on the feeders and Robin and Dunnock feeding below on the spill.

Finally, a stop to check out the North Arm but no sign of the ruddy Ruddy Duck that had been seen a few days earlier. However, the water was very busy and this was where most of the Tufted Ducks and Coots seem to have gathered along with both Greylag and a few Canada Geese. Again, no shortage of Wigeon, Teal and Cormorants along with both Little Egret and Heron. Scoping the far bank produced a pair of Barnacle Geese and a number of Lapwing and many, many Egyptian Geese. Both Little and Great Crested Grebe were also present and on checking the main water I not only found yet more Great Crested Grebes but also a pair of Black-necked Grebes.

Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis

No sooner had I started off for home to get the cleaning and cooking out of the way before the start of the Japanese F1 than I had a magnificent Red Kite quartering the recently-ploughed field on my left. What a way to end a short morning's birding even if only with one eye - but the bird was on my left so no problem!

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Background Information

I retired at the end of 1998 having been a primary school headteacher for thirty years. After a couple of years undertaking some consultancy/ training work with headteachers, I moved to the Axarquia area of the Costa del Sol in Spain. We now live on a mountain top, a little to the north of Velez Malaga and overlook Lake Vinuela to the north and the sea to the south, which gives us excellent panoramic views of the whole area including the mountains.I have been a birder for over fifty years and before leaving GB I was a qualified "Ringer" for the BTO, undertaking most of my studies in Staffordshire, Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire. All three counties being well away from the coast, it is not surprising that my main field of interest were those "Little Brown Jobs" (often referred to as LBJs), with a special emphasis on roost work in the autumns and winters and early morning visits to favoured sites, such as Charwelton on the Banbury road from Daventry where, in June and July, it was possible to catch and ring well over an hundred birds and still be home by just after nine am to take the family shopping!

Always an interest in classical music, I have also sung in operettas and one appearance in a "grand opera" (Aida). Most of the former was with the Stamford Gilbert & Sullivan Players where I had the good fortune to appear, rather than star, in all save "Utopia".